Boko Haram: men of words

Linguistic geniuses? ( Wikimedia photo) I have been super impressed with Boko Haram over in Nigeria recently. Not so much because of all the murdering and kidnapping. It’s their ability to squeeze complex meaning into such small phrases. Think about it: “Boko Haram” means, roughly, in the local Hausa language, “Western education is forbidden.” That’s four…

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Seven thoughts on Vlad’s Olympics in Sochi

1. Russia’s intransigence surrounding the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Syria is of far greater geopolitical importance than anything happening at Sochi. 2. Russia’s role in the ongoing unrest in Ukraine is of far greater geopolitical importance than anything happening at Sochi. 3. Politically speaking, the Olympics have been good for voices of Russian dissent, with Mikhail Khodorkovsky…

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